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KARENNI STATE – Junta council’s division 66, participating in the battles in Karenni state, is facing near collapse of its constitution due to the decrease of the strength of its troops as there were many casualties of junta council troops during the battles.
According to the members of Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), during the two-year-lasting battles since the coup, the strength of the junta council’s division 66 was reduced due to the high number of the casualties, the absconders and the prisoners of the war.
“We could say the constitution of division 66 had already collapsed due to the casualties, the troops who were captured alive and the troops who surrendered under us. The junta council sent many reinforcements from the back line, but the troops that have been battling for so long no longee have enough troops. Even if the junta council sent more reinforcements, they would also die,” said a news source from the Karenni military.
It was known that the junta division 66 had moved to the Karenni region from the western part of Bago where the division is based to participate in the battles.
According to the news source from the junta council’s side, the division 66, infantry division headquarters 66, is a division which is based in Ann Ma town, Thegon township, the western part of Bago. The former dictators including General Than Shwe have served as division commanders and it is a stalwart division for the military dictators.
According to the Karenni military news sources, junta council’s stalwart division 66 is now cooperating with the other junta battalions to launch offensive attacks as their constitution has collapsed due to the high number of casualties in Karenni battles.
The division 66 command 10 battalions; Bago based Pyay LIB (light infantry battalion) 4, Paungde LIB 5, Thegon IB (infantry battalion) 80, Inn Ma IB 1, Min Hla IB 14, Oakpho LIB 6, Thayarwaddy LIB 10, IB 35, Ayeyarwaddy based LIB 108, Danubyu and Pathein based IB 11. The division is governed by a general.
According to the report released on the second anniversary of the KNDF establishment, over 1,000 battles broke out between KNDF and the junta council’s battalions from the Eastern Regional Military Headquarter, the Region Command Headquarter (DAK Loikaw), division 55, division 66, division 99, operation command headquarter 2, operation command headquarter 7. The members of KNDF could manage to eradicate over 2,600 junta council troops.
The division 66 had committed a massacre in Namnein village, Pinlaung township, Southern Shan state on March 11, 2023, murdering over 20 civilians.